The Real World: Riyadh

Daniel Halper

June 1, 2010 5:09 PM

While we're focused on the supporters of Hamas -- and the publicity they were able to garner by attacking Israeli soldiers -- it's worth considering other repressive Islamist regimes that are similar in nature to Hamas. Consider this recent report from Reuters, for instance, from sharia-ruled Saudi Arabia:

Saudi Arabia's religious police are trying to bring to court three Saudi youths for challenging the kingdom's austere lifestyle on an MTV reality show -- a new test of the country's stated commitment to reform...An official at the Jeddah court confirmed the filing of the lawsuit for the crime of "openly declaring sin" and said it would take at least one week for the Islamic sharia court to decide whether to proceed with a trial or dismiss the case.

I don't often find myself saying this, but MTV deserves a round of applause for this revelatory show. Here's the entire episode:

The punishment for these young Saudis might result in "five years in jail, 1,000 lashes and a five-year travel ban," as it did for someone who recently faced similar charges for a television appearance like this.